iOS and Android developers will be able to port their apps and games directly to Windows universal apps, and Microsoft is enabling this with two new software development kits. On the Android side, Microsoft is enabling developers to use Java and C++ code on Windows 10, and for iOS developers they’ll be able to take advantage of their existing Objective C code. “We want to enable developers to leverage their current code and current skills to start building those Windows applications in the Store, and to be able to extend those applications,” explained Microsoft’s Terry Myerson during an interview with The Verge this morning.
Microsoft is bringing Java and Objective-C to Windows 10. You can compile your Android and iOS code inside Visual Studio, and run the result on Windows 10.
I’m having bad flashbacks to a not-too-distant past, when many Android apps looked like iOS apps. I guess the cosmetics don’t really matter all that much, but when an app written for platform A is ported to platform B, they almost never integrate as well as native apps do.
I like this idea.
It seems like an strategy to gain more time (and apps) for Windows 10 since on the other hand they don’t embrace Java for desktop/web development.
Will it be another embrace extend extinguish strategy?
I am currently developing an app for Android and iOS. Customer was initially eager to get also the version for WP but after seeing how much effort it actually takes to get native versions of an app for both iOS and Android (the UX must be totally different on those platforms), the WP is currently not even on the agenda. Simply the prospect of starting from scratch is a complete no-go. However if I could get something running within a day r two and say to the customer, that all I need is a budget for UI redesign, then I guess the wallets will open and money will start moving. Simply in current situation a clean start on another platform is out of option.
Edited 2015-04-29 18:18 UTC
Apparently Microsoft is pretty desperate – they never gave up like this before. They chose to inflate their store with whatever instead of enforcing consistency, which was a painful decision I guess.
I am not in microsoft’s shoes, but these news are good for the developer community and show a new more friendly MS.